THE BEACHCOMBER
DUNE ACRES, INDIANA
October, 2014
WWW.DUNEACRES.ORG
December, 2016
Dune Acres Fall Clean up
November 5, 2016 was a magnificent, comfortable
day. The turnout was very inspiring and the
amount of work accomplished was spectacular.
Our team of accomplished oak sedge planters
consisted of Sherry and Steve Carlson, Jan Bapst,
Rick Demkovich, Michelle McCleod, Bob Lauer,
Shirley and Joel Hull and Rich Hawksworth.
We had such fun with our youngest volunteers from
Chesterton High School. Led by our own Rachel
Carey, working with her friends Benea Fowler and
Adam Little, these students arrived early - before
8:30 am - planting up the steep dune all the while
singing beautifully, and working until we locked up
at 2:30 pm. Thank you so much for sharing your
joy in our happy planting. Well over two thousand
sedge plants were planted that day, giving us
happiness for years to come.
Rachel Carey
Our happy group included Tony Schirripa and his
lovely daughters Mia and Bella who helped move
sticks and branches. Kellie and Todd Klein worked
with Rob Carstens and Cole and Luke Klein to move
large fallen trees and branches, clearing the way for
the thousands of oak sedges. Please do come and
see how Clubhouse Dune behind Town Hall has
been beautified by all their hard work.
Scott Arthur was a huge asset, as he and Sandy
O"Brien worked on the burn break of invasive
brush removal all the way down from Crest Drive
Park and around to Pine Lane. Great work!
Benea Fowler
Generous donations were made by Jim and Juanita
Elder, Austin and Sarah Bancroft, Dominic
Marcheschi and Marilyn Blaszka, Frederick Reindel
and Kenneth Warren, and Bob and Margo
Hartmann. We all thank you for your contributions.
We appreciate all your help-- and please accept my
apologies if I have omitted (or mis-spelled!) any
names-- we are grateful to everyone who pitched in.
Your Environmental Commissioner
Robin Tennant
More pictures on page 3
Adam Little
THE BEACHCOMBER
December, 2016
Controlled Burn
The Town recently completed a prescribed burn of
Crest Drive Park as part of our broader effort to
reduce hazardous fuel accumulation and improve
habitat for native plants and animals. The
successful undertaking eliminated an estimated
four tons of accumulated leaf litter, fallen branches
and other fire fuel. The burn was done under
authorization from the Indiana Department of
Environmental Management (IDEM) and is one of
several which have been approved by the agency for
2016 – 2017.
The recent wildfires in eastern Tennessee
underscore the great importance of managing our
public parklands to prevent such catastrophes. In a
forested community like Dune Acres, there is no
way to completely eliminate the chance that a
discarded cigarette or stray spark will ignite a
wildfire. However, a well-planned and safely
executed prescribed fire is one of our best tools to
help minimize that risk.
by Rich Hawksworth
Mark Taylor
Mary Ann Crayton and Sandy O’Brien
Page 2 of 6
Jan Bapst
THE BEACHCOMBER
December, 2016
Fall Clean-Up Photos
Rich Hawksworth and Sandy O’Brien.
Social media star/Frisbee trick artist films at Dunes State Park
From a recent Indiana Dunes Tourism press release:
Social media star and Frisbee trick shot artist
Brodie Smith came to Indiana Dunes State Park
on Tuesday [November 8] to film a segment for his
new action sports show.
While at the dunes, Smith received a
landkiting lesson from Casey VanSanten, an
instructor for Stoke Riders, a Porter Beach-based
business that offers lessons in kiteboarding,
landkiting and other related sports.
Smith then landkited down the beach a
few times, yelling with excitement during the
adventure. Landkiting involves holding on to a
large kite or sail, then using wind power to carry a
person forward. Smith then watched as VanSanten
kiteboarded, using a kite to fly over and skip
across Lake Michigan. Smith finished his dunes
adventure by attempting to throw a Frisbee into
the wind and have it fly back over his head to a
man waiting about 20 yards behind him. People will
have to watch his show, which will be available
digitally, to see if the trick succeeded.
Indiana Dunes Tourism worked with
Indiana Dunes State Park and Stoke Riders to host
Smith’s dunes visit.
“Brodie’s videos attract hundreds of
thousands of views, and in some cases millions of
views, so having him show the dunes in his social
media and his action sports show will put the
dunes on the radar of even more outdoor
enthusiasts,” said Ken Kosky, promotions director
at Indiana Dunes Tourism.
“While he was filming, some of his fans heard about
it from social media and showed up to watch and
have their picture taken with him.”
Smith’s producers haven’t released
information about when and on which digital
platform the segment about the dunes will be
available for viewing.
For more information about kite sports at
the dunes, visit www.stokeriders.com. Visit
www.youtube.com/user/brodiesmith21 to watch
Smith’s videos or check him out on Twitter to see
the landkiting video.
Dropbox link to photos of Brodie Smith landkiting, being filmed and
posing with his instructor, Casey VanSanten of Stoke Riders. There is
also a photo of Brodie Smith posing with three Chesterton High School
students who stopped by the video shoot to meet him (left to right, Eric
Amling, a junior; Brodie Smith; Derek O’Dell, a senior; and Trevor Webb,
a senior): goo.gl/Kfr0em
Brodie Smith and Casey
VanSanten
Page 3 of 6
THE BEACHCOMBER
December, 2016
Immunization Day
Flu and Pneumonia shots were given in Town
Hall on October 29, 2016. Although late in the
season, 9 Flu and 3 Pneumonia vaccines were
administered. Our thanks to Malhar Desai,
Pharm.D.; and to Kaitlyn Talliey, CPhT. Malhar
and Kaitlyn are from Chesterton Walgreens.
Thanks also to Dave Kasarda, CEO of Chesterton
YMCA for helping to orchestrate. Walgreens will return early in the Fall of 2017. Since immunization day coincided with World
Stroke Awareness Day: Karen Riffle and her son
Tyler Gengnagel volunteered to check blood
pressures and to distribute Stroke Awareness
literature during the time immunizations were
given. Karen Riffle, RN, Tyler Gengnagel, CNA, Malhar Desai, Pharm.D.,
Kaitlyn Talliey, CPhT.
Karen is an RN, working at St. Catherine’s
Hospital in East Chicago. She is a wife, Mom
and our neighbor. Tyler is a Student Nurse at
Purdue University, and works as a CNA at St.
Catherine’s. Even with their hectic schedules,
they didn’t hesitate volunteering to spend a few
hours of their Saturday morning in Town Hall. Thank you both.
See more information about stroke awareness on
the next page.
by Sharon Tutlewski
All Aboard the Boo Bus!
It’s an annual tradition in Dunes Acres. Parents
and kids are escorted around town in suitable
Halloween style. This year the Bancrofts, the
Riffles, the Schirripas and the Masloroffs were
driven around the towns windy roads in Bruce
Riffle’s trailer, pulled by Rob Carstens ATV. Hay
bales provided comfy, atmospheric seating. The
Boo Bus allowed the parents and kids to ride
around the windy roads in Dune Acres to visit more
houses on Halloween and is safer then walking
when it is dark out with the little ones. This has
become an annual tradition for our group of young
families.
story and photos by Sarah Bancroft
Page 4 of 6
THE BEACHCOMBER
December, 2016
SPOT A STROKE F.A.S.T.
F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of a stroke.
Face Drooping
Does one side of the face droop or
is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
FACE DROOPING
Arm Weakness
Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the
person to raise both arms. Does one
arm drift downward?
Beyond F.A.S.T. –
Other Symptoms You
Should Know
•
Sudden numbness
or weakness of the leg
•
Sudden confusion or
trouble understanding
•
Sudden trouble seeing
in one or both eyes
•
Sudden trouble walking,
dizziness, loss of balance
or coordination
•
Sudden severe headache
with no known cause
ARM WEAKNESS
SPEECH DIFFICULTY
TIME TO CALL 911
Speech Difficulty
Is speech slurred, are they unable
to speak, or are they hard to
understand? Ask the person to
repeat a simple sentence, like
“the sky is blue.” Is the sentence
repeated correctly?
Time to Call 9-1-1
If the person shows
any of these symptoms, even
if the symptoms go away,
call 9-1-1 and get them to the
hospital immediately.
StrokeAssociation.org/warningsigns
©2013, American Heart Association. 6/13DS6859
Page 5 of 6
THE BEACHCOMBER
December. 2016
A Good Deed Acknowledged
I would just like to thank these gentlemen for their help
in towing my golf cart uphill to my house. I would not let
them leave without a picture
Thank you Roy Cutrell and Mark Bapst. Best wishes Roy
and family in your upcoming move and congratulations
on the sale of your home here.
Submitted by Deanna McDowell
Elderberries
Ms Julia Taylor, LSW, a
professional social worker and
health advisor, will be leading
a discussion on Tuesday,
December 6th from 1 to 3 p.m.
on "Aging in Place" at
the Elderberry Meeting in the
Town Hall.
She will answer your
questions and help address
any issues you are facing with
your aging in place plans.
Julia is a Case Manager at Northwest Indiana
Community Action (local Area Agency on Aging)
and is the wife of our Town’s maintenance
manager, Mark Taylor.
by Sharon Tutlewski
Dune Acres has a Facebook page Letter to the Editors
If you are on Facebook just search "Dune
Acres Residents". I thought it would be a fun way to keep in
touch and post pictures or news about
what's going on in the neighborhood.
Submitted by Kathy Lauer
Next publication date: March 1, 2017
Submission deadline Feb. 28, 2017
Thanks to the following people who made this issue happen:
Susan Smith
Jan Bapst
Mike Swygert
Sarah Bancroft
Mark Taylor
Kathy Lauer
Robin Tennant
Deanna McDowell
Sharon Tutlewski
Irene Newman
We welcome all submissions - news, stories, photos,
ideas for articles, information about upcoming events, etc.
I read the recent Beachcomber with delight, as always,
but especially so when I read about the Town Marshals,
especially Art Johnson!
When Rob and I moved into 21 Crest Dr., after
purchasing it from the Conklin family, we were given a
packet of information and inside was this wonderful
picture of “what had been there before” the Conklins
built their home. I’m sure this is the the “small beach
house” referred to in the article. We never knew, now we
know! The picture sat sweetly on our table at 21 Crest and it is
now on our bookcase in Wisconsin.
Always interesting information in your wonderful
publication, The Beachcomber. It keeps the bonds of
friendship together wherever we are!
Thanks to all,
Fondly,
Sue Smith
The Fine Print: The Beachcomber is published on-line monthly during the summer and periodically during the winter. All
information, news, creative contributions, articles, reports, corrections, suggestions, Letters to the Editor, art work,
comments and otherwise are welcomed and encouraged. The Beachcomber is a grass roots publication not officially
affiliated with either the Town of Dune Acres or the Dune Acres Civic Improvement Foundation, Inc. (DACIF). All content
is believed to be reasonably accurate and reliable but not “guaranteed!”
Editorial Board: Irene Newman, Jan Bapst and Mike Swygert.
Email submissions to [email protected]. Please use “Beachcomber,” in the subject line.
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